The Fool on Mott Hill
by Mrs.Phineas Bogg
Summary: Wilfred Mott's dying. Donna's devastated & the 11th Doctor comes to her aid in a wibbly-wobbly way. 3 regenerations are affected by the most important woman in the Universe, but only 1 truly understands her pain & confusion. Donna can help him heal, and he must figure out why the Time Lord Consciousness has reared its head again.
1. Chapter 1

**The Fool On Mott Hill**

 **Chapter 1**

In the final years of Wilfred Mott's life, Donna noticed a strange mix of absolute bliss and sadness within him. It were as if his soft, careworn blue eyes held the secrets of the universe. His hunt for alien life and strange occurrences became a near obsession. Donna went through that phase once, but she couldn't for the life of her remember why. She figured it was because of all the balmy stuff going on in the world, and especially in England.

It'd all started in 2005 with a tragic mannequin invasion. She'd always assumed it was a publicity stunt or movie shoot gone horribly wrong. In light of even more recent and tragic, human events in the world, she considered it a wild terrorist act that Parliament kept Top Secret. Investigating further only gave Donna headaches. She wasn't studious or interested in things like that anyway. Not like Gramps.

The Noble household was filled with unspoken truths that kept Donna on edge. She was always the last one in on the joke - the boisterous, flakey woman who missed life's biggest and eventful moments. Living in the house burdened her and she couldn't move in with Shaun fast enough.

Wilfred always stared at Donna proudly. He fiercely defended her whenever Sylvia started hemming and hawing about her failures. A force of habit she couldn't break. However, Donna noticed her mother had mellowed in the nagging department. Sylvia made it a point to compliment or commend Donna for something every day. Even if it killed her.

Donna took it as a good sign and their relationship greatly improved, especially after the birth of her son in 2011. Donna suffered a hard pregnancy and labor, and the Doctors warned her that having another child could be fatal.

Donna named her son John Caecilius Temple. Everyone thought her batty for picking that middle name. She'd come across it in Italy when she begged Shaun to tour Pompeii. Seeing frozen bodies was not his idea of a happy honeymoon, but Donna couldn't resist. The entire experience struck a deep chord with her and she cried through most of it. Even though the name meant "blind," she insisted. "Caecilius" would serve as a reminder for her son not to be so blind, daft, and selfish like his mother and miss out on life's wonders.

"Little John" as Donna fondly called him, grew to a spunky, intelligent five-year old with a tumbleweed of red fluffy curls and toffee colored skin. He resembled his handsome father, but John had Donna's eyes with the colors reversed – dark gold with flecks of green. He was the light of the Noble family and Wilfred told him colorful stories of outer space. John was determined to be an astronaut or astronomer, or both. He spent hours with Wilfred on the hilltop and shared all his childish secrets with him.

Despite the family winning a fortune on Donna's wedding day, Wilfred insisted on living in the same house. He was attached to the hilltop, and according to him there was no better place for stargazing. Donna understood Wilfred's desire, so she had a small cabin built to replace his run-down tents. Sylvia didn't put up a fight about moving. She'd grown attached, knowing all her best (and worst)memories were in Chiswick and kept her grounded.

Donna legally installed a sign and named the land, "Mott Hill."

 **~~Oo~~**

Wilfred Mott was dead on a Sunday morning in early Spring, just a week after Donna's sixth wedding anniversary. The night before, he'd insisted on fresh air and sleeping under the stars. Nothing unusual for him. He'd always prided himself on his good health and strength, so no one suspected his heart pangs that day. Wilfred never feared death and often said that he'd only survived this long because of a precious gift he didn't deserve. When they chided him for that remark he'd get angry and sad.

Wilfred looked so peaceful when Donna went to the cabin to bring him down for their Sunday tradition, "The Noble – Temple family breakfast." She called him three times but he never stirred. Her heart leapt to her throat when she realized he didn't make the funny little groans and grumblings in his sleep. She shook his arm, and it was freezing to the touch. Panicked, she waved her hand over his nose and mouth. No breath. No Life.

He was in warm pajamas and tucked under a beautiful dark blue quilt Donna never realized he owned. Wilfred's hair had been neatly trimmed, his face shaved smooth and his fuzzy red hat was laid out on his folded clothes alongside him. Fluffy pillows supported his head. There were two tea cups wiped clean, along with a half eaten box of Jammie Dodgers and other biscuit crumbs.

Donna staggered out the cabin and almost rolled down the hill bellowing for her husband and mother. Thankfully, little John was still sound asleep after an all-nighter of ice cream and video games.

 **~~Oo~~**

Sylvia insisted that Wilfred knew he was dying and must've prepared himself to go with quiet dignity. He'd never been one for hospitals and wouldn't have wanted his family bawling and sniveling around him making it harder. Donna remained unconvinced. Someone had taken great care to make Wilfred as comfortable as possible, and most likely sat with him until his final moments.

"Whoever it was, is a bloody accomplice in gramps' death and I want 'em found _NOW!_ " She screamed and raved. "You'd think they'd 'ave come to the house and tell us he died! Sittin' there all night with his corpse! How do we know he wasn't poisoned! They cleaned the teacups! There has ta be fingerprints somewhere! Check for hair fibers in the blanket! I want an investigation! An autopsy, I want..."

Shaun couldn't quiet her down so he stormed back to the house to look after little John when all the shouting woke him up. Donna was up in arms and ready to start a manhunt.

Sylvia squared her shoulders. She knew her role as the villain in her daughter's life and marched over and slapped Donna's face.

" _All day! All day!_ Yammering on like you're the only one here! The only one who cares and feels the loss! Just shut up, you! He was my father! There was a reason for this. Now bugger off and don't come back until you can act rationally!"

Donna gaped and fell silent, realizing how much her mother must've been hurting inside to raise a hand against her. She was acting like a madwoman and it helped no one.

As the funeral directors carried Wilfred's body out, Donna rubbed her burning cheek and saw her mother glance at the sky and passionately whisper,

"I know it was you. Thank you for everything, Doctor."

An on-the-spot niggling in Donna's mind halted her pursuit for justice – along with a splitting headache and a hot flash. Her blood pressure must've soared. Donna apologized to her mother and ran to her room where she bitterly cried herself to sleep.

That night she woke up aggravated and went off to get legless in her favorite pubs and she drunk-called and texted all her friends to join her.

 **~~Oo~~**

Donna wobbled into her mother's house around 3am and kicked off her heels. Shaun would've been drying the ink on the divorce and custody papers if he ever saw her like this. He didn't care for late night "pubbing" as he called it. Ever sweet and understanding, Shaun had spent the day taking care of Sylvia's needs and making funeral arrangements. He was sound asleep on the couch with Little John cradled in his arms.

Donna flashed them an adoring gaze and blew a kiss, the sudden whiff of alcohol and greasy food on her breath gagged her and she beelined for the bathroom. She slumped over the toilet bowl to let the cold porcelain soothe her overheated skin.

"It was them damn fish sticks and custard bowtie boy insisted I had to try! Oh, I must've been quite the looker. Cryin' with bogeys flyin' all over the place, dippin' piece after piece. Blimey, he was right though. It was _sooo_ good!"

 **~~Oo~~**

Donna's thoughts went rampant about her final pub stop as another wave of nausea rolled over her. She wretched a bit to ease her aching stomach and crawled on her hands and knees into her old bed. Sleep eluded her.

Did she flirt with bowtie boy? A bit. She teased him about it. But all he said was "Bowties are cool." She'd groped through all his pockets for I.D because she insisted he looked fourteen. He really didn't. He was the strangest bartender she'd ever met.

Bowtie boy was rather timeless, with an intriguing chiseled face like an Easter Island statue. She bluntly asked if the natives had him in mind when they carved them and trailed her sticky custard and buffalo wing fingers all over his clean long cheekbones and pulled on his jutting chin.

He'd merely shrugged and wiped his face with a moist towelette, then to her surprise he rubbed her hands with a fresh one. " _You don't say?_ Maybe they did, Donna. Humans have a natural instinct to worship."

She didn't remember telling him her name. But he'd surely heard her friends talking to her.

Bowtie boy's eyebrows were almost non-existent and she wondered if he were ill when his features appeared old and haggard in some angles. As if he had the weight of the world on him. Tricks of the light. Because he'd then smile and leap over the bar table to help customers and she watch amazed as youth busted out of him like a Jack-In-The-Box. Sick her foot. She didn't know what to make of him.

He had the patience of a Saint and flashed her a black leather wallet with an I.D for John Smith, age 29. Seeing his name calmed her down and she went into a glowing speech about her miracle baby. His reaction of genuine joy touched her.

"He wasn't so little at birth, that's for sure!" Donna warbled. "A full grown ten pounder. My butterball." Her expression darkened and she took deep swigs of her gin and tonic. "Almost didn't make it there. All sorts of complications. Stress didn't help. My husband said I kept screaming " _Doctor, I need you!_ " all night night. Must've drove them insane. I don't remember. He was beginning to think it was a man named Doctor that I wanted and not the Doctor, Doctor, know what I mean? Crazy, right?"

John Smith nodded and stared at the broken woman with affection as she swirled her drink around. He thrust his arms to his sides and balled his fists. He wanted so badly to clutch her in the biggest hug he could possibly give.

 **~~Oo~~**

He'd missed one of the most momentous events of her life. One that nearly killed her. So many voices cried out for the Doctor, and at times he answered. But there was always the pesky problem of saving the universe which got in the way of the little things. And tending to other companions and their problems like dimensional cracks in the walls, 2000 year old Roman Rory Robots, (not) killing Hitler, getting married, living and pouting on a cloud, killer snowmen, being sucked into the wi-fi, and the list went on.

He'd brought River Song back to her cell after another date night not too long ago.

"By the way, sweetie, he's 10 pounds, 7 ounces, and he's Ginger. I went ahead a year or two and checked. You might want to keep an eye on this one, Doctor." When he'd wondered what she meant she merely said, "Spoilers. You'll know soon enough." And then ravished him with a kiss between the bars.

 **~~Oo~~**

He grinned like a doofus at Donna's never ending flap of pictures. Her wallet was surely bigger on the inside. "You're a very strong woman, Donna! What a handsome chap! _He's Ginger!_ Of course he's Ginger. Why wouldn't he be?"

They laughed together for a good long minute. Moments like this seemed very familiar to her, yet she'd never experienced them. Not with this bloke. Not anyone really. Or did she?

Donna mussed his hair when she noticed the happy tears in his eyes.

"You know, you...you're right adorable, bowtie boy. John, Johnny, Johnboy Smith. Smitty! But this has to go." He sported a side-bang that kept fluttering in his eye whenever he leaned over to retrieve glasses or looked down to prepare drinks. Donna pulled out a brush and combed it off his face, insisting he was ten times handsomer that way.

He smirked. "Actually, eleven times."

She waggled her finger. " _Nuh uh._ I like ten. Eleven's such an odd number."

After a bit more chatter, the lanky bowtie boy hardly spoke and kept his distance. But Donna spied him keeping a watchful eye while she downed more drinks and flounced from table to table. He only said a few words at a time, but John Smith was more comforting than all her friends. It warmed her inside to know that he cared.

Really warmed her actually.

"Do ya have a stinkin' air con? A fan? It's _boilin'_ in 'ere!" Donna yelled. She kept ordering cold water pitchers to flush out the alcohol and cool her down.

The more cabbaged on liquor she got the more she gazed at bowtie boy. He must've felt her stare burning a hole in his trousers. That runaway bang flopped over his eye again while he scrubbed tables. Donna bit her lip. He was slim and sinewy, there were some muscles lurking under there.

"I won't get a paper cut givin' _him_ a hug." She giggled. Then she wondered who she knew that skinny. Most of her guy friends had pot bellies.

More than one poshed up chip chugging bimbo approached her bartender that night and Donna scuttled between them when she saw his discomfort. After two catfights and an overturned table she was "Donna victorious." She cracked her knuckles at all the other women. Nobody was gonna set their hooks in her bowtie boy.

As the night wore on he appeared more and more attractive. Guilt ripped her and she toyed with her wedding ring. No. Something was off. She smacked her forehead twice and realized the attraction wasn't romantic at all. It was like she wanted to pal around with him forever, tease and be bossy and protective like a loving older sister.

Her so-called friends snuck off after she paid the tab and boldly announced she was taking a "trip to the loo, but not for number two! _Toodle-li-doo!_ "

She returned dejected to her bowtie boy at the bar table and flicked peanuts at him.

"Ain't that always the way? Off they go. They all leave ya alone in the end. The whole lot of 'em. I guess it's fun while it lasts! Can't complain. _Weeeellll_...Yes. No. _Maybe_...sometimes!"

Donna kept right on talking gibberish. And sounded a lot like his tenth incarnation. She threw him random bits about science and technology, astronomy – everything she ever learned from Little John's easy peasy collection of science books. John Smith stared at her bemused and didn't correct her garbled facts and figures. He just made sure she didn't have a _"binary, binary, binary, Chaplin"_ meltdown.

For her final drink she ordered a Rum and Coke with a bendy straw.

"I _love_ bendy straws, don't you? I dunno why. Never paid no mind before. Funny how the brain works."

Bowtie boy leaned forward and his fingers itched to pull out his sonic screwdriver. Donna blushed. "Oi, sunshine, ya gunna stare at me all night twiddling yer fingers? Are ya scanning me?"

He backed off and urged her to tell him more. She dove into one of her impossible Donna stories.

"A few years ago I went through this crazy spell ya know? I started craving and hating on food, wrecked my mum's whole kitchen. Yogurt was gross, I mean really, it's just _stuff..._ with bits in it. _Ugh!_ And apples! _Rubbish!_ Baked beans are poison, Bacon's bad and bread and butter was just so _blahhhh._ I nearly clocked poor Shaun a good one tossing the plate at him. On top of that I was so blasted hot and _bovvered!_ " She slurred.

"I opened the freezer, the cold air hit me and I fainted dead on the spot. Do ya think they brought me to the hospital? No, they put me to bed and let me sleep in my clothes again like a bloomin' kid! But Gramps knew it'd turn out okay. I was right as rain when I woke up in the morning, but gaggin' all over. Somehow I just knew I was preggers. Ain't that wizard? I do like all that food stuff again..."

She finally lowered her voice in a conspiratorial way. "But believe you me, John Smith, I was a completely different person. That's what mum told me. A stark ravin' lunatic. Can't imagine somebody actually behavin' like that. You'd have to send 'em to the funny farm. My family almost did. If it weren't for Gramps..."

Donna held her head and cried loud and sloppy when she saw her bowtie boy's compassionate face as he dried off tumblers. She reached for his chest but couldn't find it.

"Why don't ya wear a tie! You need a trenchcoat!...I need a tissue!" She shoved him aside and wiped her snots on her dress sleeve.

She sobbed face down on the counter. "I'm done. So done. And I want ya to know, my Granddad Wilfred Mott was my confidante, my biggest cheerleader, my partner in crime! He was the best man in the entire, stinkin' universe!"

" _Yuppp_...Quite right." John Smith answered, his voice thick with emotion.

Donna couldn't remember how she got home after passing out at closing time, but somehow she was standing at her mother's door with her key in her hand upon waking up.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Fool on Mott Hill**

 **Chapter 2**

Donna tossed and turned with vivid dreams of Santa Clause robots, spiders and floods, fire and ice. Her body convulsed and then fell still. Her breathing calmed as her mind opened and the scary images morphed into the hilltop. She found herself standing just outside the lighted cabin.

"Great. Back to sleepwalkin' again. Last time Shaun found me eatin' a hotdog while I was sittin' on the toilet. That was rich!" She mumbled.

Donna thought she saw a blue police box stationed on a neighboring hill, yet she couldn't make herself look directly at it. Her head just wouldn't turn no matter how hard she tried.

" _Sod it!_ I'm gonna get whiplash." She carefully pushed the cabin door open, ignoring her fear. "I haven't been here in weeks. Who turned on the lights?"

Seeing Wilfred Mott was like a punch in the gut and tears rolled down her face. "Oh my God, Gramps! You're alive!"

Donna ran in but then stopped short. Her vision blurred as if she were staring at an unfinished watercolor. Two shadowy figures were in the cabin, but she only saw a blend of colors, outlines and indiscernible whispers.

"Gramps? _Gramps?_ Can ya hear me?" She rapidly blinked. "I'm havin' one helluva hangover, can't even see straight. Come on, stupid." She knuckled her forehead head until she winced and the scene came into focus.

She realized that she was an invisible presence in her own dream. They couldn't see or hear her. Wilfred chatted with an eccentric, big-chinned young man and Donna's jaw dropped.

" _No way._ Oh, of course he's all up in my head now. _Oi! You!_ Fishsticks and custard! Are ya hearin' me? I may 'ave fancied ya a wee bit, but i was drunk outta my noggin. So don'tchya be gettin' any ideas. Whatchya doin' trespassing in my dreams? My own hubby don't even show up in 'em."

The Bartender John Smith wore a sleek purple frock coat and bowtie. Underneath he had on a lavender dress shirt with a vest a shade darker. A gold pocket watch and chain draped across his slim waist. He looked spiff and posh... for a date in Victorian London.

When Donna felt scared her mouth became a machine gun spewing rapid-fire wisecracks. This time was no exception.

"Who does this bloke think he is with Gramps? Willy Wonka?"

She circled his chair, but he kept on staring at Wilfred with a daffy smile. A table between them was neatly set up for tea and biscuits. The same one she saw when she found her Granddad dead. Her blood ran cold. "Is this it? Did this maniac follow me home and then come and poison gramps? Am I havin' one of them psychic dreams...again?" She was afraid to voice her thoughts. It couldn't be true.

She was tempted to poke him but feared a response. "I asked whatchya doin' 'ere, then, bowtie boy? Come to take my grandad to your chocolate factory? Givin' him a golden ticket to the pearly gates? I'm thinkin' of a Beatles' song. _The Fool on the Hill._ Well you're the Fool on _MOTT HILL!_ This is private property, ya know. Oi! I'm talking to you, dumbo! If I find out you murdered my..."

An unseen force shoved Donna across the room into a darkened corner and she crashed against the wall.

" _Wot. Was. That?_ " She shouted and rubbed her head. " _Owwww!_ Did you put a whammy on me, dumbo?" She charged forward but couldn't get past an invisible shield that rippled like clear water when she pushed on it. She tried a few times. "You better let me outta 'ere!...I'm warnin' ya!... _Please?_ " She rubbed her arms. "Okay, whatever you are, I promise I'll behave." The shield rippled again, but stayed in place.

"Forget it, then!" She grabbed a crate behind her and sat with a huff.

Wilfred and bowtie boy's voices carried to her like echoes and snatches of conversation faded in and out. The longer she stared at John Smith the more she felt a loving familiarity, though she'd only seen him for the first time tonight. His face was a whirlwind of expressions. Being unable to sit still for more than two minutes he pranced around the room like the Nutty Professor, waggling his hands up, down and sideways as he carried on about random stuff.

"The man's a bloomin' cartoon! I think you should lay off the Jammie Dodgers, bowtie boy. You're on some mad sugar high." Donna commented.

He pulled out a long tool from his coat pocket and proudly let Wilfred hold it. A set of claw-like fixtures opened up and a light buzzed green at tip. Donna's curiosity burned and her mind became more attuned to them.

"Remember the Sonic Screwdriver, Wilfred? Same programming, different casing." John Smith explained.

"I'll never forget it. But the other one was smaller, eh? Silver and blue, yeah? Where'd it go?" Wilfred asked.

"Kinda burnt out during an Atraxi invasion. Do you remember the giant eyeballs?...hmm, wait, never mind, that's all been reversed." The Doctor muttered.

"Oh yeah? Don't think I do? Sounds pretty terrifying, but I bet that lot flew off like bats outta hell, then ya know the Doctor is around! Sorry they broke your Sonic."

"Oh it's okay, new face, new rules, new toys and..."

"New Spaceship! That TARDIS cleaned up well. It's amazin'! Thanks for givin' me a grand tour." Wilfred laughed.

Donna shook her head and nudged her crate closer. "This dream's gettin' too weird. What's a TARDIS? Why do I know that buzzin' noise? What's he gonna show us next? Can ya fix my toaster with your sonic, love? Are you a spaceman carpenter? I bet you're from Mars! Do they have cabinets on Mars?" Donna rambled.

A stream of statistical information cascaded through her mind about bowtie boy. He was an alien with two hearts who regenerated into a different body when about to die. He was last of the Time Lords from a planet known as Gallifrey who stole a TARDIS to travel the cosmos. _Time And Relative Dimension In Space._ She saw every one one of his past identities and when she came to the tenth her heart leaped and she jumped up.

"I know him! I _swear_ I know him." She gripped her temples at an onslaught of burning pain and his visage faded. She sat back down shaking and concentrated her thoughts only on the scene in front of her.

John Smith's jovial mood sobered while he discussed a catastrophic event in the universe known as the Time War and how his home planet had been destroyed. Wilfred seemed to know of it, but he kindly urged him to speak in more detail.

~~Oo~~

Donna closed her eyes, wondering when and if this dream would ever end. Her own memories crept to the fore, flashes of terrifying and brilliant adventures – space travel to far off galaxies, a botched wedding, giant spiders, pudgy little gobs of living fat, evil robot aliens that looked like pepper shakers, bald, eerie aliens with snake mouths that held their brains in their hands. A volcanic rock giant on fire. Heat.. _.so much burning heat..._

She felt cool, gentle tugs in her mind, as if someone were shutting doors. Her thoughts drifted to more personal memories – all encompassing hugs, lots of tea, a space closet full of converse sneakers, a billowing trench coat, spiky brown hair. She saw him again in pinstripe glory. The tenth Time Lord, with an infectious smile that could light up a planet. Loads of running, a beautiful, haunting song of freedom, and laughter... _always laughter..._

The doors in her "mind corridor" closed at a faster pace and disappeared one by one. Donna's eyes flew open. " _Oii!_ Even in my dreams someone's keepin' secrets from me!" She pouted. "Are you up to somethin, bowtie boy?"

Donna fanned herself. She was still in the dream, but she'd missed part of their serious conversation, and John Smith was back to hopping around while he announced that he'd figured out a way to save Gallifrey.

Was Gallifrey the huge orange planet that once appeared in the sky? The one her friends chattered on about for weeks? She'd slept through all that excitement once again. This was preposterous. However, his sincerity and her grandfather's sympathetic tears gave her pause.

Bowtie boy's green eyes beamed with delight as he recalled the crazy adventures he'd had with aliens across the stars. Wilfred soaked it all in with wide-eyed enchantment, like a child listening to his favorite bedtime stories. He believed every word this nutter said.

They talked like the oldest friends in the world about the doomed city of Pompeii, a planet called The Ood Sphere, even Agatha Christie and a giant wasp. All familiar to her, but unbelievable. This was a dream after all. Apparently even her grandfather had traveled through space with this madman in a box and met a green-skinned alien couple with cactus heads.

"Oh poor, poor, Gramps. He's dying and he finally lost it. Gone delirious." Donna sniffled. "And this nitwit is humorin' him. They 'ave the nerve to say I was there too. That's a laugh!"

Continuing their conversation, the young man rolled up his sleeves and set to work cutting Wilfred's hair, then gave him a good old-fashioned shave with a sharp-edged razor and a hot towel. He ignored Wilfred's joking remarks about preparing him for his own funeral and "Doin' hella lot better than the Undertaker." Donna heard the fear in her Granddad's voice and she wanted desperately to comfort him. She placed her hands on the force field and her fingers pressed through the ripples. The sensation was cool and smooth as satin but she was too scared to go further and pulled back.

Bowtie boy massaged Wilfred's shoulders to relax him. Donna couldn't tear her gaze away from this act of love.

She realized that her Granddad never said his name. At least not "John Smith." He simply called him, "Doctor."

Donna sniggered. "Doctor? _Doctor Who?_ Where'd ya get your Doctorate then? Clown college? Was Pee Wee Herman the Dean? Did you tutor under Monthy Python?" She started laughing, but it was no longer in a mocking way. She'd become completely endeared to him in the last hour.

Wilfred gazed upon the young man like the beloved son he never had. The Doctor in turn stroked and patted Wilfred's head like an old grandfather would his favorite grandchild.

"Of course. He's not 29, he's over a thousand years old! Gramps is like an infant to him." Donna realized.

Wilfred gripped his arm. "You just make sure that you're never alone. I forgot to ask, do ya have anyone, Doctor?"

The Doctor grinned. "Oh, yes I do. Her name's Clara Oswald. She's a pretty little thing and she's my clever, impossible girl. She's a bit bossy, pretty much a control freak. She perfectly balances out her time on Earth and in the TARDIS on Wednesdays. But we get along just fine. I think she fancies me her boyfriend. And I'm not sure how I feel about that...yet." He tugged at his bowtie.

Donna crossed her legs and snorted at the mention of his little impossible girl. What was she? A brownie? A fairy? Only on Wednesdays? "Well _excuuuuuse me,_ Miss!" Donna thought snidely. "You're either with the Doctor all the way, or not at all in my book. I can see that much. The man needs a hand to hold at all times."

Donna held her cheek amused. Maybe the loon needed a domineering chippie around. This Doctor wouldn't know how to react with a blow up doll yet there he went traveling along with all these pretty females at his beck and call.

"Oh Doctor, you're really just a lonely old man after all. But I think you need someone mature, not some jiggly sprite strokin' ya big old ego all the time. On the other hand, maybe Clara doesn't take your guff." Donna stood closer to the force field. "I would've been a great companion for ya, Doctor. I'd put ya in your place when ya needed it. Keep ya grounded so your not lordin' it all over the universe. Yet, we'd still have loads of... _fun..._ "

Donna's voice cracked and she looked down at her sloppy dress and torn stockings – A dismal reminder of the drunk mess she'd dissolved into tonight. A pretty, clever girl like this Clara he traveled with now would never do such a thing.

"What am I sayin'? Donna Noble, the "best temp in Chiswick," but not pretty, not little, not smart, clever.. _.completely unimportant!_ You'd probably drop me off at the nearest planet just to get away from my big mouth. I wouldn't blame ya, Doctor." She said tearfully.

For a few seconds she felt as if the Doctor stared right at her. His lip twitched down and his brow raised sadly.

A voice, a brilliant Estuary accented voice spoke from the back of her mind. "Why do you degrade yourself so much when I said you are absolutely wonderful? Perhaps...I never said it proper. I took you for granted and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. But Donna Temple Noble, you don't need me to know that. Not anymore."

For a moment, her bowtie boy's face morphed into someone else's. "Doctor? Are you _my_ Doctor?" She whispered confused.

The new face didn't speak, but that voice was his. She'd seen him in her earlier visions. His large brown eyes glistened with tears as they peered into her very essence.

"My Donna, I will always be your Doctor." He smiled forlorn, and then his features rippled and he vanished.

Donna covered her face. She couldn't bear to see that expression, not on the bowtie Doctor, her grandfather, Shaun...and never on _him_. The perfect ten. She wiped her eyes and stood up tall. She refused to put herself down in her own dream.

" _Bollocks!_ I'm not Donna Noble anymore. I'm Donna Temple-Noble, I have a gorgeous, wonderful husband who adores me, a beautiful son who thinks I'm his world...who needs outer space with some crackpot alien and all that running? I am important, to the people in my life!"

She slammed into the force field and unexpectedly tumbled out of it. She scurried by the bookshelf and grabbed on, expecting to be knocked back to the corner. Nothing happened. Her grandfather kept talking.

"Doctor, I think you can deal wit' ya new gal Clara bein' all neurotic. You sure know how to pick 'em. I still remember the others – Rose, Martha, Mickey, Sarah Jane, that big bloke Jack." He chuckled hard. "Donna couldn't keep her paws off 'im. He didn't seem ta mind at all. Most of 'em paid me private visits now and then. That Sarah Jane Smith's amazin,' a real beauty. She knew many versions of ya!"

The Doctor nodded. "Yes she did! And I loved her all the same. I loved them all. They're a wonderful bunch of people. I'm privileged to know every one of them...and definitely you, Wilfred Mott."

Wilfred's eyes glazed and his mouth drooped. Donna watched the Doctor struggle to keep up his grin for him.

"It's my turn to go now. I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise, Doctor. 'Bout dyin." Wilfred sighed.

The Doctor shushed him as he pulled the quilt to his chest. Donna didn't even realize they'd had moved from the chair to the cot.

"Oh, Wilf. You said it yourself. We're all going to die someday. But I couldn't let you die back then. You're a human being, and that makes you _very_ special. I care about you like a father. I said it was my honour, and even with this new body and all my new rules I still stand by my words."

The Doctor seemed to glance in Donna's direction. "And Donna needed you to see her through the darkest days of her life."

 **~~Oo~~**

Donna remembered those dark times – zoning out in midday, constantly feeling knackered. She visited psychiatrists and insisted that she'd forgotten a huge chunk of her life. That it was sucked into a big black hole of nothing. But if she looked really hard, she could see the outlines of her past and any little reminders in the real world sent her mind in that burning state. Once she chatted with another patient. A beautiful Ginger-haired Scottish teen named Amelia. She swore she up and down that she once had a friend called "The Raggedy Doctor." At the time it sounded like a horror movie to Donna – giant eyeballs, A Prisoner named Zero escaping through inter-dimensional cracks, crashing police boxes with swimming pools in the library.

But nobody else remembered any eyeball invasions or Prisoner Zero escaping so Donna let the matter drop as usual. The one time she didn't sleep through it.

Donna had left that waiting room with a piping hot headache again.

" _The Raggedy Doctor..._ was that you, bowtie boy? Sure sounds like it." Donna murmured.

There was no evidence of any life for Donna other than the boring one she led, temping away all over London and alphabetizing dusty files. Meeting Shaun Temple did wonders for her. But the _"What ifs?"_ plagued her all the time.

"I knew Donna was in a depression. My Sylvie wanted to murder you herself. Said it was all your fault her daughter became a loon." Wilfred pointed out.

The Doctor chuckled. "Mothers. I _always_ get on their bad side. I really don't know why."

"I don't think I have enough time left to answer that one!" Wilfred teased. "You'd like Shaun, Doctor. He's just the man Donna needs to let her be herself."

"So he's deaf and mute, then?" The Doctor joked. "My loud and vivacious, Donna Noble. Does Shaun happen to have a stutter?"

"Blimey, you nailed it! Naw, he doesn't, _errr.._.'cept maybe when she's givin' him the business. He becomes a magician with 'is dissapearin' act!"

Wilfred laughed and started choking. The Doctor gave him water. He looked up to let out of a puff of air and Donna saw grief cloud his eyes. He forced another smile, even though his mental countdown to Wilfred's death began.

Donna cried as they bantered on. She hadn't seen her Granddad this happy in years. Normally she'd be furious if some bloke gossiped about her. But Wilfred merely laughed and agreed with the Doctor about her fiery, but ultimately lovable "space cadet" personality.

" _Oi!_ You lot, havin' a jolly, spiffin' time talkin' 'bout me, huh? And you're all mouth, no trousers, Spaceman!" Donna grumbled. " _Spaceman._ That's the perfect name for ya."

Despite his light jesting, the Doctor spoke of her, a mere "Temp from Chiswick" with such reverence and love, that her heart swelled to bursting. Donna's resolve crumbled.

"Doctor, I wish... I _really, really_ wish you could just see me."

 **~~Oo~~**

The Doctor's head shot up, and for a brief moment their eyes met. Donna stepped closer into the light. Had he sensed her there all along? She closed her eyes and swore she heard his voice in the recesses of her mind.

"You're always near to me, Donna Noble."

Their contact broke and he carried on with Wilfred as if she were never there.

Emboldened, Donna ran and knelt in front of him. She finally saw the man up close without fearful reservations, force fields, or an alcohol induced haze.

"You truly are beautiful, Doctor." She whispered. "My happy-go-lucky bowtie boy. Whatta face!" She rested her head in her arms at the foot of the bed and simply stared up at him.

His haunted, intelligent eyes carried a deep-rooted fire and had no doubt "been in the wars," as her mother always said about Wilfred. "Those are the same eyes as before, aren't they?" She murmured.

"Doctor, promise me...even if ya don't ever return... swear you'll never forget 'bout our precious Donna." Wilfred stammered.

The Doctor's solemn gaze tugged at Donna's heartstrings. "I never will, she's forever my best mate. Nor will I forget you, Wilfred Mott."

Donna's heartbeat quickened. How can they be best mates when she'd just met him tonight? The feelings she had in the pub made sense now, and all her crazy visions before.

"Was I really your companion once? _Me?_ You...you chose me?" She marveled.

Wilfred clutched the Doctor's hand, but his grip weakened. "Carry on, Sir. The universe needs you. It will always need you no matter who you are. And Gallifrey...you saved 'em, now bring 'em back. Like only you can, Doctor."

"I'll never give up. Now I have hope." The Doctor tightened his hold on Wilfred's limp hand.

"So, where are ya off to now?"

"I'm sure wherever I go next will be cool. So cool!" His voice trembled. "You know me, Wilf. Always on the go, never really choosing a proper destination, always with the running."

"And the savin.' Don't you dare forget about that, Doctor. I don't care what Sylvie says, you always have a place here. If it won't mess up history too much you can pop back to my past and say hello from time to time. We can meet at the coffee shop and shoot the breeze. I'll know ya no matter what face you're wearin'. Just come and go in proper order, so I'll always remember yer visits."

The Doctor's attempt to keep a stiff upper lip failed and his tears spilled. He rested his head on Wilfred's chest and Donna choked back sobs as her grandfather stroked his hair. Wilfred scolded him for crying, but he couldn't stop his own tears. Donna thought the entire cabin would float away any moment between the three of them and their snuffling.

Wilfred struggled to sit up and he gave the Doctor a fatherly hug.

"I think this is it then, Doctor."

The Doctor clutched at his nightshirt. "I hate goodbyes, Wilfred."

"Then...you better come 'round and see me again while I'm still kickin'."

"Already taken care of." The Doctor smiled.

Wilfred's eyes lit up with a memory surge. " _Doctor!_ That's amazin', never pegged you for a Scot! Suits ya right fine. Oh we really passed for father and son then, didn't we?..." Wilfred's voice faded in and out and the Doctor stared at him confused.

"Thanks for all the coffee. And the Olympics! And...it was beautiful seein' ya runnin' wit' the torch. That was _my_ Doctor out there. Thanks for winkin' at me."

"Actually I winked at... _Rose._..wait, what? I did see you! I'm Scottish?"

Wilfred made a weak zipping motion on his lip. "Sorry, I forgot what she said...oh yeah... _spoilers_. But you young man, _don't you dare die!_ Not yet. You...you just keep comin' back to us no matter what happens...and please, please take care of my Little John in the future."

Sweat broke out on Wilfred's forehead and his skin felt clammy. His pulse pounded. " _Oh my Lord..._ I hope this don't hurt too..."

The fatal heart attack took hold of Wilfred. Donna stared helpless as her beloved Grandad's body stiffened. She cried out when his face twisted with agony and he pulled away and clutched his chest. The Doctor caught him fast before he teetered off the cot.

Donna wanted to shake the Doctor by his collar to do CPR, anything. She screamed out and fell to her knees.

" _Help him! Please!_ What are you good for, Doctor!" She knew deep down it was the end.

The Doctor knew it too. Wilfred Mott's death this night was a fixed point in time.

"It's all right, Wilfred. Rest now, old friend. Here's a gift from the Ood, they'll sing you to sleep."

In a swift and gentle motion, he laid Wilfred on his back and rubbed his temples. Whatever the Doctor did, diminished the torment on Wilfred's face. His body slackened and he released a sigh. The corners of his mouth turned up in a final, peaceful slumber – just as Donna had found him in the morning. He was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Fool on Mott Hill**

 **Chapter 3**

The Doctor's hands slid off Wilfred and his arms hung limp at his sides.

"What _am_ I really good for?" His voice cracked.

He crouched over with his head on his knees, and the wail he suppressed all night escaped. His entire form shuddered and heaved as he struggled to control his massive grief.

Donna was shocked. She'd been a blubbering mess weeks after the funeral, but even her reaction to Wilfred's death wasn't this heartfelt.

"I'm so sorry I said that, Doctor. It's not true! _It's not!"_ She wanted to reach out and _touch_ the Doctor to console him.

"This is _my_ dream and I make the rules, dammit!" Donna plopped on the edge of the cot and folded her arms around the Doctor's waist, resting her cheek against his warm chest. She heard the devastating sound of two hearts breaking.

"You poor man, it's all true. No wonder you feel so deeply. I think you are probably the best man in the universe."

Her whole existence instantly felt _right_ for the first time in her life. For this one, shining moment she utterly loved him. Not in some star-struck romantic way, but with the most intense love that best friends could share.

"Be still, Doctor. I have you. We're together again."

The Doctor eased into the embrace and tilted his head delicately against hers. His crying subsided as their mental bonds intensified. Donna didn't know how long she held him, it could've been hours, this dream felt unbound by time, but she knew it'd never be enough. He would always need someone to care for him this way.

"Gramps is right. You should never be alone, Doctor." She whispered compassionately. "And if you ever find yourself alone, you come back to me." Her gaze fell to her wedding ring. "I'm a married woman though, so there'll be no snoggin' in your little spaceship. That TARDIS or whatever ya' call it. I could bring the family, yeah? Little John would certainly love _you._ We can have a picnic on Mars!"

Donna could never resist a joke when her emotions were stirred. She glanced at the Doctor's face, willing him with every thought and prayer to actually see her. His gaze filled with pure tenderness and he entwined his fingers through hers.

Donna gaped at him. Before she could react he seized her face and kissed her forehead with a flourish.

"Donna, how many times have I told you I'm _not_ a Martian from Mars. And trust me when I say it's not the proper place for a picnic...you _really can't_ drink the water."

He rubbed his face in her hair and then drew her closer for a long overdue hug. The Estuary British accent popped out of him. " _Ohh,_ I've missed this, _my_ _Donna Noble!"_

~~Oo~~

As their minds fully linked, golden light swam across her vision and Donna lowered her arms awestruck. "Doctor! Oh Doctor! It's really you! _Oh my Gaawd!_ You're what was missing from _my_ life! I was gonna be with you forever. _The DoctorDonna!_ Flyin' in the TARDIS!"

The Doctor straightened up. "Yes! Ya gotta love an Ood and their prophetic words and songs. The DoctorDonna back in action for..." He checked an invisible watch. " _Erm_... _ten_ minutes?"

"Ya better give me more than that, bowtie boy! I remember it all now. Look at you! A new man! Still spry and young, and really, really... _steampunk."_

He adjusted his bowtie proudly. "Is that what the kids are calling it these days?"

"What happened out there? When didjya change?" She blanked out for a moment, then gripped his shoulders and bawled. "No, don't tell me. I can see it. Oh Doctor, please tell me you didn't die alone!...You did!"

The Doctor stood with Donna still in his arms. His mood sobered. "Long story, Donna. It's all over with. You heard everything I wanted you to hear when I spoke to Wilfred." He rubbed his brow and sighed. "Right now I'm a very selfish spaceman. I needed to see you again. I'm so, so, sorry. You can't imagine the guilt I feel. This must be causing you so much physical pain. Forgive me."

"Oh I do, Doctor. Deep down you were always forgiven even though I was furious you took away my choice. I mean, a life without you was not worth livin' to me. But now..."

She looked away and he softly drew her face toward him again. "Now you have Shaun. And precious Little John. You wouldn't if you were still traveling with me. You know that."

Donna swallowed the lumps in her throat and nodded. She couldn't fathom a day without her baby boy. Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth as shame and embarrassment overtook her.

"Wait, _wot?_ You heard every ugly word I said, didn't you? What about...Gramps?" She'd been afraid to look at the cot, but Wilfred was no longer there and the furniture disappeared around them.

The Doctor shook his head. "Wilfred heard nothing. He was only a memory, _my_ memory. I allowed you to enter a reenactment of my memories through your own dreamscape. It's wibbly wobbly stuff. But it worked. I kept tuning you in and out so you'd only hear the important bits and I wouldn't get distracted."

"Oh. I get it. You used some kinda telekinesis to toss me across the room and lock me away so I wouldn't cause trouble? Then ya turned me into a bloomin' radio! Shut me off when ya didn't like the song I was singin.' Is that how it went down?" She huffed, but the twinkle never left her eyes.

"Sort of. If it helps to think of it that way. Half the time I just caught you from the corner of my eye spouting _blah blah blah blahdiddy blah blah blah!"_ He formed a mouth with his hands and rolled his eyes.

Donna punched his shoulder and he winced. " _Oi!_ _Owww!_ Still violent as ever I see, Donna. Why do I always get the punchy ones?"

"Oh? And I see you're still a skinny streak of nothing that can't take a hit." She sassed. "I could regenerate ya right here on the spot you knobby Martian"

Her freckles seemed to burn a million holes in her mortified face and she turned her back to him. "What an idiot!"

The Doctor's expression fell. "After all this time, that's what you call me?"

Donna swung around and grabbed his collar. "No, dumbo! Me! _I'm_ the idiot. And don't give me that look, you've been called worse." She released him and paced in circles, tugging her hair. " _Oh gaawwwd!_ The bar! You stood there all night lookin' innocent and lettin' me blather on piss pot drunk in your face. _Aughh!_ I even groped ya! I checked out yer bum!"

The Doctor smiled maniacally and looked down at his rear. " _Really?_ Whaddya think? I work out now. Exercise is cool. Boy was the TARDIS gym dusty."

Donna's mouth dropped. "Oh, so you're Doctor _Pervert_ now? Before you couldn't even bear the thought of bein' a couple wit' me, _not_ that I even _wanted_ to, Sunshine. Now you're all _"Woohoo! She's checkin' out me bum!"_

Donna smirked. "All these pretty little companions must really be turnin' your head, Doctor."

She counted off. "Rose, Martha, Clara..." She grabbed his cheeks and they head-butted each other. The Doctor stumbled as she invaded his mind. "Oi! Donna! I feel bad for Shaun. I really do! _Owch!_ "

Donna wagged her hand and pursed her lips slyly. " _Oooh,_ who's this saucy one with the curls? Oooh! It's River Song! I knew when she saw ya in the Library she had her claws in ya. She's a smart cookie, jumpin' all over time and wrangled ya into marriage wit' her little blue diary. Ohh, I see how you like 'em...blonde and busty, nearly got engaged to Marilyn Monroe...Good lawd, Doctor, you've had some cowgirls up in there. Elizabeth the 1st!..." Donna's eyes shifted back and forth as she dug deeper into his past. "You had a girl _in loincloth_ on your TARDIS? Where'd she sleep? In the jungle room? Did the console have vines to swing on? Or did she use that impossibly long scarf? You are a devil!"

She was going into meltdown mode again and the Doctor touched her forehead. "Donna, Donna, you stop that right now! Your brain is overloading with memories of my companions."

Donna shook her head fast to clear it out and poked his chest. "Fine. Fine, you can have your privacy. But listen up, spaceman, _our_ relationship will _never_ change. You're friend-zoned for all your lives wit' me, even if ya regenerate into _Captain Jack Harkness_ , ya got that?"

The Doctor gripped her arms and laughed. "Still the same Donna Noble! I _love_ it!"

Donna wanted to fall through a black hole. "Really, how could you do that to me? How could ya let me do that to _you?_ "

The Doctor shrugged and grinned. "Think nothing of it. One of the best nights of my life I dare say. A lot of soul baring. I like when people bare their souls, it's good for them. It's been a long time since I played bartender. What are friends for?"

~~Oo~~

Donna backed away to explore their surroundings. The cabin had disappeared and they were surrounded by pitch blackness dotted with starlight. Chiswick and all of England were gone. Nothing existed in this realm except Mott Hill. The TARDIS floated a yard away. She'd never seen it so beautiful and clean. A white ray of light streamed over the horizon. Her skin warmed and tingled. She doubled over and coughed as the air thinned.

" _Whoops!_ Gettin' too far out there." The Doctor ran and slid alongside her. He gripped her waist and pulled her into a firm back hug.

Donna blushed hard and twisted out of his hold. "Doctor, please. Huggin's one thing, but back hugs are intimate."

He stepped aside but didn't let her go and gestured to the expanse. "Notice the scene's shifted. See that white light? Soon it will envelop us. The telepathic connection is ending and we need to be as close as possible, not to be _perverted,_ but I mean skin on skin. Wander off too far and your mind will be caught in stasis forever. You'd be Night of the living vegetable, like a zombie." The Doctor scrunched his face disgusted. "But without all the _icky_ stuff like eating body parts and craving brains and what not. And you won't rot. Technically, you'd still be alive, but without a heartbeat, or a breath...living _between_ heartbeats. Time Lords can do those things. But...since I'm the last right now I really don't have all the proper technology or data on how it works, _maybe,_ in the library, but it'd take me years to rifle through all those notes. I can't guarantee if you'd ever walk or talk again, or even string two syllables together... depends how far the stasis went to your brain. I guess _not_ like a zombie...but close enough. Or if you're really fortunate you'll just die in your sleep."

The Doctor finally stopped for breath and Donna put her face in her hands while her body rollicked up and down. The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck and hesitated. He cautiously put his arm over her shoulder.

"Donna, I'm sorry. I know this is hard for you."

She looked up red-faced and smiling. "No, you goon, I was _laughing!_ You really _never_ change, do you? Still carrying on like a mad scientist with all your nonsense and theories. I wonder what else is the same. Do ya still do the thing?"

"Thing, what thing?"

"Ya know, the _thing_ with your foot. Flyin' the TARDIS all crazy-like, kickin' up your leg to reach for a random button with your sneaker. It's hysterical!"

The Doctor almost looked offended. "I didn't know that was a "thing." Then again, Ten was a charmer, full of little quirks that made the fangirls twitter with delight. But the answer is _no._ I'm in full control of my TARDIS and she's become much more obedient. She even responds to my voice now... _erm_... _Sometimes._ I gave her some upgrades. She's very delicate. Ten was always smashing her bits and kicking her parts, imagine she was a _real_ woman! It was no wonder she looked so grungy."

"Poor thing was treated like an abused housewife by ya back then. Never realized that. I probably would've. But I'm glad she's in a more stable relationship now."

He crossed his arms and pitiful Idris flashed through his mind. "Exactly. I never abuse my TARDIS."

"You liar." Donna smirked. "I bet she'd have somethin' to say 'bout that!" She looked up with shining eyes. "Doctor, what you did for gramps was beautiful. Even mum thought so. She knew it was you, way before I...well, I guess I wouldn't 'ave known since you stripped my memories bare and left me like..."

The Doctor inhaled sharply and Donna winced. "Oh, I'm sorry. Sore subject." Donna narrowed her eyes and walked in circles around him. "But why _else_ are you here? With all that's goin' on in your life right now you didn't just suddenly think of me and decide to drop in for tea."

The Doctor pouted. "You're wrong. Of course I thought of you. I always think of you, Donna."

Donna's smile waned. "You really are a loyal alien, aren't ya? But you're keeping secrets again. I'm _sick_ of secrets. _Please just tell me._ " It was the Donna voice he loved. The sweet, kind tone that was too often smothered beneath her loud bluster.

"Because you asked nicely. As of now your personal time line is in a constant state of flux, no matter how far I look there are no fixed points. That in itself is very strange, but it must be related to the Meta-Crisis, the Time Lord consciousness. The TARDIS warned me that if I didn't intervene last night...you'd have died."

Donna saw how much it troubled him to even think it. " _Wot?_ Are you kidding me? How?" She forced a laugh. "Knowing me I probably went to the loo and drowned myself having a good puke."

The Doctor held her arms tight. "Donna, I wouldn't lie about that. In your drunken stupor you drove your car home alone since all your so-called friends abandoned you. You immediately crashed into an oncoming truck. The impact killed both you and the truck driver, along with some innocent bystanders when the vehicles exploded into a massive fireball that burned two houses to the ground."

Donna held her breath during his explanation and he shied away from her angry reaction. "How could I do something so _horrid?_ I'm a _mother_ for god's sakes! I want to strangle Shaun if he even has one _nip_ before drivin!' Of all the _moronic..._ "

She tossed her arms up in a fit. "Ya came back 'cuz you saw I was in danger? But why? That's life, Doctor. Again you made choices for me! Rubbish happens. I mean, of course ya had to save the others from my stupidity, but I told ya before, I'm not that impor..."

The Doctor clamped his hand across her mouth and he was right angry with her. "Yes, you plum! I came back for you! Don't you _dare_ tell me you're _not important!_ I never want to hear those words again, from you or _anyone!"_

The Doctor shook her. _"_ What kind of Doctor would I be if I didn't at least try to save my best friend? What kind of Time Lord? When I get the power to choose, I choose LIFE. _ALWAYS!_ "

"I know what you mean and how you feel, but what even gives you the right to choose life over death?" Donna responded hurt.

He slid his hands down her shoulders and hung his head. "I'm doing it again. Time Lord Victorious returns." He met her gaze. "You're right. Oh, Donna...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm just upset. Please understand. I've seen companions and friends die before my eyes, die _for_ me. A never ending parade of beautiful, brilliant people dying in my name."

"The name of the Doctor." Donna murmured. "Anyone who comes to know you, would die for you, Doctor. That's how much you mean to all of us. Gramps knew it, and it devastated him when you gave your life for his. He hid that pain well. But I knew something was wrong when I'd see him weepin' on the hilltop."

Donna did not want to bring up her memory loss again, each time only tore a deeper hole in the Doctor's hearts. "Don't deny us our own choices."

His eyes teared up. "If I could do anything to go back and save them I would. But I took the chance with you because the time line didn't have to be that way. The universe was on our side."

The Doctor swept her back to him. "Our connection is ending soon. Stay right here."

"Doctor, I'm so grateful to you. Thank you for saving me. By doin' that you also saved my Shaun and Little John. For once there are people who truly need me."

"Donna, at one time the entire universe needed you. And so did I. Always. The Doctor-Donna forever." Donna wept hard the Doctor kept her tight in his grasp, he nuzzled her hair and rubbed her back in soothing circles.

"Even if I don't see you for a thousand years, I will never forget any of this. Not one moment. You never knew it, but you're permanently seared on my hearts, Mrs. Donna Temple-Noble."

~~Oo~~

They stood huddled in the blinding, white void. Donna felt a rough yank in her mind, and a steady pulsation that attempted to drag her back to reality. She was sure the Doctor felt it too. An ominous ringing surrounded them.

"Those are the cloister bells. The TARDIS only gave me a few extra minutes of time and I went far over the limit. My body is inside her now, hooked up to the main console." The Doctor explained.

Donna dug her fingers into his back and her bitter tears soaked his shirt. "I love the color purple, Doctor."

"I know." He smiled.

The bells rang louder.

" _Blast it!_ Tell 'er to keep 'er panties on!" Donna screamed and gripped him harder. "You can't leave me again. We have so much to talk about. We 'ave so many new adventures to go on. My son! Little John loves outer space, it'd be the thrill of his life to go in the TARDIS. Please, Doctor!"

He managed to squirm away to see her face. "Maybe one day he can. But I can't hold this link much longer. It's not real. The TARDIS is giving me Termination Signals. She's temperamental and I... _Ughhh!"_

The Doctor doubled over and tremors ran through him.

Donna kept a firm grip on his wrist. "Doctor! What's wrong?"

"Donna, inside the TARDIS, my body is shaking, I'm being zapped awake. If I don't let go now you'll die in your sleep!"

The cloister bells blared and warning colors streamed across the white void like a discotheque.

"Why does it always end like this for us!" She shouted. A roaring heat burst in her brain. "It's not flippin' fair! The universe _hates me!_ "

He kissed her forehead with a manic passion. Their breathing became labored. "No! It doesn't. But you have to live, Donna! Your family needs you _one hundred_ percent in their lives! Stop trying to remember the past and forge a new future. There's so many possibilities! Promise me!"

"I will, Doctor! I promise."

He kept hold of her face. "I'll find another way to see you!...if I don't release you, I'll die too."

The Doctor twisted and jerked out of her arms and fell on his knees. "My body is not responding!"

Donna backed up terrified. "No! You can _never_ die, Doctor!" She snapped her finger. "I know exactly what you need! A shock to the old system!"

The Doctor remembered what that entailed. He struggled to rise and puckered his lips. If Donna wasn't so overwhelmed with dreadful bells, vapid lights, and angst she would've laughed at his balmy face. And probably have fully kissed him for the heck of it. _This_ Doctor didn't find the idea so horrifying.

He opened one eye. "Well! I'm ready for the shock! I'm dying! We're dying! We have less than twenty seconds!"

"This is for old time's sake, spaceman! You know how much I love you!"

Donna drew her hand back and slapped him so hard he spun full circle. It was the perfect jolt his mind and the TARDIS signals needed. His eyes crossed and he held his bright red cheek.

"Blimey! I don't miss _that!_ "

Swirls of golden light obscured Donna's vision and the Doctor was torn away with dramatic force. He shouted for her, but his cries echoed farther and farther until he disappeared.

Donna soared out of existence on the Dream plane _. "No! No!_ Come back to me, Doctor! Please come back to me!" She pleaded and screamed. "A thousand years! _I give you a thousand years!"_

Their psychic dream link severed and she woke up hysterical crying and gasping for air. She jumped from the bed and sprinted to the bathroom to throw cold water on her face. Her whole body burned with fever and she felt a pounding migraine. She tore off her clothes and drenched herself in a freezing shower. After a few minutes and many deep breaths the headache dulled and her racing heart calmed. She warmed the water and soaped up. Her breathing steadied while the intense heartache she'd just experienced ended as quickly as it came.

"I could swear that was real. It had to be! That was him! It was...a Doctor? _Doctor Who_?"

~~Oo~~

Six Months Later

Donna took her family on a long scenic drive and picnic. As she spread out the food and drinks Little John pounced beside her.

"Mummy, we can't 'ave a picnic on Mars!" He announced.

"Oh yeah, and why not? Mars is beautiful."

"Yeah, but it's red and dusty and the water monsters live there, mummy. If we drink the water we'll turn to water monsters!" He said seriously.

"Little John, what'd ya watch on the telly that made ya think that?"

"Nothin' mummy. I saw it. I had a bad dream. But I wished really 'ard and the man came and made 'em go away."

"What man? Superman? Spiderman?"

Little John jumped around restless. "No! The tall nice man with the bowtie. He lives in the blue box, mummy! He said he has to change his face but he will help me if the scary monsters come back."

Donna was about to question him further but Shaun finally had their kites prepared. John forgot about Mars and ran to fly them. As he raced to his dad he shouted, "Geronimo!"

Donna sat back and the sandwiches fell from her hands. Little John's nightmares intensified over the last 6 months, but now he had invented a way to fight back. A tall man in a blue box. She closed her eyes and the yearning for the empty, missing piece of life threatened to engulf her. She pounded her fist down.

"No. I don't need some imaginary life. I have one. Gramps woulda known how ta help John. They were always talkin' 'bout this stuff. It's all a game." She decided not to worry. Her child simply had an overactive imagination.

"Come on you lot! Lunch is ready!"

Donna didn't want to dwell on space monsters or aliens. She had worked hard to become the best mother and woman she could be. She carried on like Wilfred desired of her, and at last allowed her family to fill the void inside her.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Fool on Mott Hill**

 **Chapter 4**

One year later, on the anniversary of Wilfred's death, Donna decided to finally clear out his hideaway cabin. Everyone offered to help, but it was something she needed to do alone. Her Granddad had a secret trunk and she'd just found the key hidden under his bed in an empty gun box. She was intrigued to know what he kept hidden from the rest of them.

As Donna struggled up the road with cardboard boxes she noticed a tall middle aged man standing by the foot of the hill. His curly silver hair licked the nape of his neck and seemed to glow under the moonlight. He stared up wistfully at the empty cabin and the large telescope alongside it.

Donna cocked her head and hesitated, giving him a full once over. He was dressed in an odd mix of modern and Victorian clothes – A black hoodie covered by a black frock coat with a red lining. He had on a black tee with holes, dark grey plaid pants, Dr. Marten boots – All something a young rocker might wear. She pictured him a wild 80's youth. A punk with a Mohawk causing anarchy all over Britain who later retired and became a magician. She decided he would've looked good as a Ginger too.

Her imagination ran away with her again, she always made up stories about people as soon as she met them. Donna also got the silly notion that he was the 21st Century version of Death himself. All he needed was a sickle. As if he read her thoughts, he swiftly turned and she gulped.

" _Hello!_ Can I help you, Sir? Nice night for stargazin' I guess." Donna said politely. She inched forward. He looked perpetually cross. She carried mace if she needed it and owned a pair of lungs that would wake up all of Chiswick, but he stood very still, almost unsure of what to do.

His intense blue eyes were shrouded by fierce eyebrows the same color as his hair. But she caught a sudden friendly glint. As if he saw someone dear to him after a very long time. His features at once softened and his frown broke into a wide smile. Donna had the impression he wasn't much of a "smiler" so she felt honored that he did it for her. She admitted to herself that he was a handsome older bloke.

Donna came closer. "I know it looks out in the open, but this _is_ private property, Sir. We call it Mott Hill, after my grandfather. He passed a year back."

"Yes...I know. Sorry, was thinkin'...My name's...Stewart. _Stewart...Tyler_." The man fumbled over his words with a throaty Scottish accent she found glorious.

The Doctor continued, trying to recall his rehearsed lines. Why did he feel the need for index cards? "I...I was an old friend of Wilfred, I knew him as a _young_ man, he _err..._ he was mates with my father in the war. Saved my Da's life durin' a skirmish. My Da' died years ago, but I read the notices about Wilfred's passing so I had ta come as soon as I was... _free._ I'm sorry for the delay. _"_

He approached and held out his hand. Donna carefully shook it. He had slim fingers with an iron grip that she could swear she'd held before. But that couldn't be right. He kept on shaking and looked more nervous than she did.

"You must be the amazing Donna Noble. I mean, Temple. Shirley...no, _uhh..._ Noble Temple! _Donna Temple-Noble_." He snapped his fingers. "Finally got it. _Acch..._ shame on me. He never stopped talking about you. Good ol' Wilf."

Did he have dementia? It took a lot out of the man to speak so kindly and Donna was greatly impressed. He was no doubt a grumpy numpty, but she resolved to be at her cheeriest.

"Oh...so ya heard of me, then? Good things, I hope."

He nodded and shifted awkwardly like a child awaiting punishment.

"Well, that's very kind of ya to pay a visit, Mr. Tyler. Gramps never mentioned ya. But he kept a lot of secrets." She smiled appreciatively and could've sworn he held back tears. "Gramps knew a _kabillion_ people, remembered every detail about 'em, but rarely spoke of 'em. So don't feel bad."

The Doctor fidgeted. "Oh yes, I'm kinda like that myself. I'm not offended." Without asking he took the bundle of flattened cardboard from her arms. "This looks mighty heavy. Ya must be goin' up there. I'll help ya out a bit." He noticed that she tensed. "But I _won't_ stay. I know doing this must be a real personal...thing... _to do_... _uhh..._ I highly respect that."

For some odd reason Donna didn't care if he joined her. She had put up a bold front with her family, but inside her stomach churned in knots and her head swam. She even felt dizzy walking this far. He must've saw her stumbling along the road. Being in the presence of this man somehow calmed her entire soul, as if they were right together. They climbed up silently and then he put the boxes down.

"Well then, Donna, I'll leave ya to it." He motioned to go but felt Donna's hand on his arm.

"Wait, Mr. Tyler. Stay a bit. I don't mind. I think ya came a _very, very_ long way for this and I refuse ta be rude and dishonor my gramp's memory. He _loved_ bein' 'round his friends." She stood a crate up. "Here, take a seat. I may be loud and blunt...but I try not ta be rude. I'm a great conversationalist."

Donna peered into his eyes and he looked everywhere but at her. He wasn't ready for them to form a telepathic bond again. If they even could.

" _Oi,_ stand still, Mister Sunshine. I won't bite. I just..." She scratched her head. "I'm trying ta place your face, because I'm sure I know it." She gasped and her grip tightened. The Doctor looked at her worried.

"Donna, are ya alright?"

"I went to Italy for my Honeymoon! Rome... _no..._ Pompeii! Were you the tour guide? Maybe a tourist like me? Oh I know!" She laughed and slapped her knee. "You were one of them actors in costume! Re-enacting the eruption scene...tore my heart outta me to see it dramatized. Felt so real." She saw his confusion. "Oh, I guess not."

He gently took her hand off his arm. "Oh, _naw,_ never been there." He lied. "But I'm told I have that kinda face. So, whaddya think?" He tilted his head side to side. "Not a bad profile, but it's a daft old face, isn't it?"

Donna snickered. " _Old?_ Aren't we all aging, Mr. Tyler?" She shook out her flaming Ginger ponytail. "Every day I'm findin' white hairs. That's how my son gets his allowance. I give 'im the tweezers and he goes to town. I say your face is distinguished, but certainly _not_ daft. You look like a wise one."

"Oh, I wish I were, Donna." He murmured.

Her tone lightened with the sensitive _Donna lilt_ he loved. "I'm gonna be presumptuous and say that I think you're hurtin' right now. You look so sad, Mr. Tyler. How long has it been for ya?"

"How long for what? And please, ya can call me _Stewart_." The Doctor kicked at tufts of grass. Maybe it was a mistake to come here in reality, rather than telepathically. He couldn't meet her gaze again. Donna touched his shoulder and he fought the desire to kiss her hand.

Kissing like a cuddly grandfather was totally Eleven's thing.

"How long since you lost someone dear to ya heart? I can tell. You're tired of covering up the pain aren't ya? That's all you've ever done. Cover up. Hide. _Run_." Donna couldn't understand how she knew so much about this stranger, but from his subtle reactions all her guesses were right.

The Doctor groaned and sank onto the crate. He rubbed his face and finally stared up at her. She was wearing a purple sweater and lavender fashion scarf, her favorite color. Eleven had been right, Donna _was_ subconsciously seared onto his hearts from Ten's regeneration. His obsession with Gingers, the bossy female companions, his purple ensemble, the hats! Always with the hats. And his strong desire for friendship and family rather than starry-eyed romances. They were highlights of Eleven's existence. At times he missed it very much.

Donna looked outstandingly beautiful and compassionate, just as she always did when they'd engaged in heart-to-hearts talks. He could tell she'd made peace with the universe and her demeanor was tranquil. He felt compelled to break his "no hugging" rule.

He held back. This regeneration always did.

"Donna, sometimes it feels like billions of years. Then again, I've lost everyone I've ever loved at some point in my life _._ Eventually I just stopped counting."

~~Oo~~

A year ago in his personal timeline, the twenty-four year night on Darillium ended and his wife River Song was commissioned to the Library. The night before she left, she found him meditating in his old comfy chair by the fireplace in the TARDIS library. She didn't have to wonder hard about his thoughts.

The Doctor looked up and held back from crying on the spot. She wore the white astronaut suit, her final outfit, and her luxurious blonde curls were banded back in a springy ponytail that took years off her beautiful face. She had a book in her hand, but it wasn't her diary.

"This is a fitting spot for our goodbyes, isn't it? I'm sorry to disturb you. I was just trying it on again before tomorrow."

"River, it's a space suit for an expedition, not a fashion show." The Doctor chided. His gaze hardened when he saw the green lights flash on her shoulder piece.

She rolled her eyes. "I know that, numpty. I had to adjust some settings on the neural relay and make sure there weren't tears in the fabric. I'm good to go." She hated to see that grief-stricken look on his face, especially knowing it was for her.

"If it will make you feel better..." River slowly stripped down and revealed a fitted pink Tee-shirt and black tight pants underneath. She folded it carefully on the opposite chair.

"Better, sweetie?"

"Much. Thanks."

She leaned over to kiss him and massaged his shoulder blades. "I knew it. You're very tense. Don't worry, I'll take care of that later." She tickled his ear.

He smiled and stroked her hand. "Ya know, ya never disturb me, River. It's smooth sailing with you."

Every second of the last twenty four years he'd spent with her were precious to him and his life had been relatively tame, boring even, while playing "house." He didn't know how humans could stand it.

"Liar." She teased. "Rule number one."

The Doctor put his head back to look up at her. " _Acch,_ fine. Every time you were angry with me, you shot off with your vortex manipulator and created some chaos in the universe. Then I had to come blustering in to save you."

River laughed. "Okay, you got me there. But I love it when you do that. And I only did it when I saw you getting antsy, love. You know, to spice things up." She winked.

"I will always do whatever I can to save you, River. _Always._ Remember that." He glared up at her with such emotion that River had to turn away. She'd done all she could to keep him occupied since he lost his precious memories of Clara Oswald. He'd sometimes get sparks of recognition whenever he'd find a reminder.

She stared at the fire and her eyes watered. "You never fail me, Doctor. And I hope in all these years, I've never failed you."

"River...I...I want you to know how much I..."

She wiped her tears fast and twirled around with her hand on her hip. "Stop. Don't be a sentimental idiot. I have one more bit of chaos for you. When I leave you won't know what to do with yourself, so I'm giving you a puzzle to solve."

The Doctor shook his head amused. "You're the biggest puzzle in my life, _Melody Pond._ But whaddya got for me this time?"

She sat facing him and held his hands. "Doctor, promise that you'll remember Donna Noble. One of your greatest companions who suffered a fate worse than death."

"You're already sounding like a storybook, River. But we're all stories in the end." The Doctor murmured and looked away. The flames danced off his reddened eyes.

River gulped down her anxiety. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He cringed and gave her his full attention. " _Ahh,_ nothing. You just have a way with words, and I'm feeling poetic today." He tried to put on his biggest Doctor Eleven smile and she shook her head.

"Stop it, love. Don't. Don't. Not with this face."

The Doctor scowled with an arched eyebrow and River blew him a kiss. "Now there's the man I spent my life with. The man with the bedroom eyes."

She moved onto his lap and he wrapped his arm around her and stroked her back. She rested her head on his neck and he inhaled her seductive scent, committing it to his limitless memory for the last time. The warmth of her hair against his face soothed his nerves.

"Doctor, Donna Noble forgot your existence in her life. I'm sure that terrified her in her final moments. You never talk about it and I know you've been working on a way back to her. I think she'll need you again very soon."

And, River hoped, that the Doctor could find a measure of comfort with Donna, since they now shared similar fates.

"It's been years since I tinkered with that notion. Why would she need me? What good have I ever done for her?" The Doctor groused. "I was at her wedding, she's happy. That's what matters."

"Oh she _will_ need you. And you've done plenty. She's alive and well and so is her child." She reached for the other chair. "Look at this. I saved it just in time, the next night some little buggers robbed the cabin."

River handed him a drawing pad. He flicked through childish crayon drawings of the TARDIS, Daleks, The Ood, a Volcano, a giant wasp, and Racnoss - all stand-out adventures he'd had with Donna. There were other assorted aliens and planets. He seemed to freeze for a full minute, then tossed it aside.

"He's no DaVinci. But at this stage he's even better than Picasso. I think he has a future in art." The Doctor smirked.

River put it back in his hand. "Aren't you going to finish? There's two more you _must_ see."

"No, River. You know I hate endings."

"Doctor, of course I'd know better than anyone. But I think you're scared. Please just look. This isn't an ending, it very well could be a beginning." She gave him her all-knowing smile.

The Doctor grunted at her and he flipped to the last pages. His features hardened and he sat up taller. River saw and felt the intrigue build up in his entire body. She slid off him before he could forget she was on his lap and knock her on the rug. It had happened before. Sure enough he stood up fast and paced.

"I see you're getting restless already. That's a good sign."

"River, who drew this?"

"You remember, 10 pounds, 7 ounces. Ginger hair? John Caecilius Temple-Noble. He was five years old at the time he started those drawings."

"Impossible. Donna would've burned up if she'd told him. She would've burned him too if he were nearby. I didn't start work on the Telepathy Shields then. Sylvia must've said something or Wilfred probably let the cat out of the bag."

"No, love. Wilfred Mott was your most loyal friend. That man knew how to keep a secret. He was so cute with his little red hat."

The Doctor looked stern at her. "River. Don't tell me." He flashed back on Wilf's last conversation, he'd used the word, _spoilers._

River crossed her legs and examined her nails. " _Of course_ I had to meet him, my love. He's a big part of your legacy. Before he died he hid these drawings. In the cabin there's a trunk. He never let Donna see it. Once he trusted me he gave me this. He knew it was important."

"Then why didn't he give it to _me_ when I sat on his deathbed? He never mentioned a thing."

"You'll see when you look at the last pictures. It wasn't time then and he knew it. By the way, he congratulated us on our wedding, he's sorry he couldn't be there and annoyed you didn't tell him before he died."

The Doctor remembered Wilfred's dying words imploring him to take care of Little John in the future.

"How could I talk about weddings when the man was dyin' before my eyes? Oh Wilf, always making me promise ya things." The Doctor muttered. "If only I'd known."

The Doctor was now a stubborn coot and didn't hop, skip, and jump like Eleven when he coddled every child with a few tears and bad dreams. The Doctor held his ground.

"The boy could've seen all this on the internet or Television. The invasions were real. Humans would rather take selfies than try and figure out what's going on and save themselves. There's tons of footage."

River was exasperated. "You're missing the big picture again, sweetie. Sure he could've, but at that young age? Tell me, is _Davros_ an actor on the BBC? Has _he_ ever been on the news? And how on earth would Little John know about the secret Torchwood facility under the Thames? That's what he drew with the Racnoss."

River flipped to the picture. "Look, there's your Tenth self with fire and water. He even wrote "Time Lord Victorious."

The Doctor's body slumped and he ran his fingers through his hair. He wagged the book away. He knew the moment he turned the final page he'd have to steer the TARDIS to Chiswick. But he just wasn't ready. It was time for River's departure. The Doctor already sensed that his life was going to tailspin. The Doctor didn't want another companion for a long, long time. And he certainly didn't want to revisit old "ghosts" again to add to his guilt.

He promised River that he'd look into it and escorted her to the wardrobe room. They had one more dinner by the Singing Towers before spending their last night wrapped in each other's arms. He wouldn't let himself be bothered by scribbles, even though his conscience tore him up.

He left the open book on his chair. Little John had drawn Donna and Doctor Ten smiling and holding hands. Then a picture of her on the hill with stars and a daffy-faced man in a bowtie. In final picture Donna stood beside a grumpy-faced man in black and plaid with silver hair. Scrawled beneath the portraits were the words,

"THE DOCTORDONNA FOREVER"

 **~~Oo~~**

The Doctor focused on the present when Donna knelt beside him in the grass. She put her hand over his. "I'm so sorry for your losses, Stewart. I lost my dad and grandad. It hurts like fire but we soldier on, don't we? We keep the good times close to our hearts."

"I certainly try." The Doctor heaved a loud sigh. "Donna, I _know_ I lost someone. She's like a story, but I cannae seem to get it straight in my head. I remember our time together, but not her. I must sound like a dafty, right?" A tear escaped his eye and Donna put her arm over him.

"Ya poor man. It's like a huge piece of your life's been torn away from ya. You know it, but ya can't prove it. Wanderin' around like a lost soul, always searchin' but never finding. Believe me, I know the feelin' all too well."

"Yes, I think you rightly do." He mumbled. "And for that, I'm so sorry."

Donna stared at him in awe. " _You_ don't have to apologize." She hunched her shoulders and the Doctor cocked his brow. He knew what was coming next. Donna's self-loathing. She put on a smile that did little to hide the pain in her eyes.

"It was probably my fault anyways. I'm not clever or very bright about things. I mean, _blimey,_ if I'm gonna forget someone like that, maybe I really didn't deserve to know 'em in the first place."

"I imagine I was exactly what _my_ friend deserved. As for you Donna, whoever he is, I'm sure it was his greatest triumph and blessing to have ya in his life. Ya _hafta_ believe it."

She shrugged and couldn't meet his softened glare. "Sometimes I do. It might take a long while, but it's true what they say 'bout time healing all wounds. I don't mean to sound trite."

"If there's one thing I know, Donna. It's _time._ I believe it too."

"Then maybe your time for healin' already started just by coming here." Donna said gently.

~~Oo~~

The Doctor stole a withering gaze at the TARDIS parked on the next hill. Her top light blinked at him as if to say, "I told you so."

"Sexy" knew he'd stalled coming after losing his wife and she decided he'd moped around long enough. It wasn't all about him. Visiting Donna Noble was one of River's last wishes. Her beloved thief was wasting away, and letting her get run-down in the process. She hadn't looked this worn out since the Time War. In fact, neither had he. The TARDIS' made her concern known. Her thief just stared at the fireplace for hours, or rifled through memorabilia leftover by companions he'd lost. His mind was a slew of bitter memories, replaying like a broken record all the moments he'd thought he failed them.

This was all wrong. He was a Doctor born of hope. She'd even given him a shiny new Sonic Screwdriver. But now he was back to his unruly hair and whiskers, mismatched, depressing clothes (Still better than his glaring 6th regeneration) and strumming melancholic tunes that he wrote for his companions on his guitar. One time he dragged out all their beautiful oil portraits for an audience. He rebuilt his Sonic sunglasses to hide his magnificent eyes, because they were constantly swollen and brimming with tears.

The TARDIS nearly crash landed after tearing out of one of his brooding junkets through deep space. She put a lock-down on the control panel and a shield around the console. He reverted back to Ten's behavior, pulling out her wires, banging her buttons with his hammer, kicking, yanking, tugging. Oh, this Doctor had a mouth on him when he called her a slew of Scottish curses. The TARDIS didn't care, and she flipped and tossed him to and fro until they hurtled to Chiswick, 2016.

She'd made him keep his promise from Donna's dreamscape, and remembered her pleas. The TARDIS took the liberty of playing it for the Doctor as she raced to reunite them.

 _"Even if I don't see you for a thousand years, I will never forget any of this. Not one moment. You never knew it, but you're permanently seared on my hearts, Mrs. Donna Temple-Noble."_

" _Come back to me, Doctor! Please come back to me!...A thousand years! I give you a thousand years!"_

So here he was a little over a thousand years later in Donna's presence, and he already felt revived.

~~Oo~~

After the lull between them, Donna carefully let go of his hand. Silence wasn't her forte. "Stewart, I saw ya lookin' at Grandad's telescope. He's had it forever Refused to let me buy 'im a new one."

"Oh. Yeah, it's a good quality. Was he an astronomer?"

"Hardly. More like an enthusiast. Loved the thought of aliens out there in the galaxy. He was convinced that space travel would become a reality. I guess we all saw it with our own eyes. But whaddya think?"

"From my experience I'd say he was absolutely right. We're never alone."

"Gramps was on the hill every night. I think he was lookin' out for somethin' specific. But he always denied it. I really can't even be bothered with all this alien and space business. It's hard enough just findin' a full time job to make ends meet here on earth."

"Yes, times are tough. Always are. History tends to repeat and repeat. Like a hamster wheel."

"I can't complain too much. Won the lottery years back, we spent it, invested, but that don't make us millionaires. It sure helped though. I put most of it away for my son."

Donna sighed and looked through the telescope. "Still a blur. I need to get this fixed. My son really wants it. He loves the stars and planets. I only thought there were _nine,_ I mean that's what they taught us in school, right?"

The Doctor shook his head glum. Human beings kept themselves in a loop, a never-ending vicious circle of ignorance, passed down through every generation. It was as bad as a Confession Dial. He refrained from saying it.

"Oh, Donna, I'm so old they only taught us about _seven_!" The Doctor exclaimed. He'd really learned about _seven hundred_ by the time he was Little John's age.

Donna laughed. "And 'ere my boy is, just six years old, spoutin' off twenty-five names already! I mean, what child would make up a name like Raxa, raxa...ramalama..."

"Raxacoricofallapatorius." The Doctor finished for her. "It's a ...it's a _place._ When did he tell you that?"

"Oh...just yesterday. I was feelin' a little sick, and he wanted me to feel better by tellin' stories. And he has tons. Bless 'im."

"But you're fine now?"

"Yeah. Just a fever. I got a lotta those in the last year. But my Doctor said I'm otherwise the picture of health."

The Doctor sat back and looked at the sky relieved. Yesterday in earth time he'd re-started the Telepathic process of shielding her brain. Of course he could've used the new handy-dandy neural block he got from Gallifrey, but this was Donna, he was taking it old school. He couldn't risk any malfunctions. With telepathy he felt more fully in control and it kept things personal. The Doctor wanted the shield to kick in at least 24 hours before he appeared.

Donna picked up some old cans and bottles and put them in a trash bag. "I feel so dumb next to my child. The school's thinkin' of skippin' him to grade 2! I'm not so sure about that. He might be smart or gifted or whatever, but my Little John's innocent and sensitive, and kids these days are wild. Ya know, I think you and him would get on just fine."

"I don't know how good I am with children these days."

"Stop it, I bet you'd be great."

"Children do seem drawn to me, even with this face."

"The way you go on...like ya gotta new face put in. Did ya get some plastic surgery or somethin'?"

The Doctor cleared his throat and shrugged. "Umm, no, really Donna... I'm just vain."

Donna snickered and tapped the telescope. "Well ya have reason ta be. So, I guess all this thing needs is a little jiggery pokery and a new lens." Donna felt around it.

"Jiggery Pokery, nice word. Haven't used that one in a while. Donna, I'm a... _science_...technician. I actually specialize in all sorts of...spacey...wacey... _stuff._ I'll give it a look some time soon."

Donna was thrilled. "Thanks a ton! It's become a precious family heirloom."

The Doctor noticed she fanned her neck. He discretely put on his Sonic Shades. Pulling out the screwdriver would've caused too much delirium.

He waggled his brows and smirked. "Tell me, are ya feeling hot, Donna?"

Donna laughed. "I'm always hot these days, Stewart. And are you _actually_ wearin' sunglasses at night?"

"Why not? The eighties were my glory days." He pretended to riff on air guitar and made her laugh. It was almost starting to feel like old times.

His scan completed and he pulled them off. Donna's core body temperature had risen to 98.9 degrees over a year, so she became accustomed to the heat with only slight discomfort. But it couldn't go on like that. Donna was in danger of slowly burning to death over the course of a few years.

" _Ehh,_ Sometimes I wear 'em at night, because the moon...hurts my eyes. Tha' thing needs a dimmer." He gestured wildly to it. "It's just sitting there, glowing like a giant... _egg._ "

Donna grew fonder of this kook by the minute. "An egg? Ya mean it's not made of cheese?"

"That would be ridiculous."

"If you say so. If we get snow blindness, why not _Moon_ blindness? Honestly, it's only April, but my body seems to be runnin' two months ahead of schedule."

Donna picked up the cardboard. "You know what, just give me a mo' to put these in the cabin, we've been getting tresspassers lately and I wanna hide them."

The Doctor held her arm. "Wait, ya said ya haven't been in there for a while, are ya sure you can do it alone?"

Donna gulped, but she stood tall and nodded. His concern was touching and familiar. "Yes. It's not that I haven't been, I just haven't touched anything. I'll be fine."

"Okay, take your time."

~~Oo~~

The Doctor sat back and closed his eyes, going through a mental checklist of everything about the situation up until this point.

"Time for an info-dump. Sorry." He muttered to no one in particular.

His major research into Donna's Time Lord consciousness started while he was still in his eleventh incarnation. Forever tinkering beneath the console, Eleven found scattered post-its about the immense power of Gallifreyan psychic shields written by Ten.

Ten's deductions were brilliant as usual but they'd gotten lost after the Space Titanic crashed through his TARDIS and she had to rebuild her entire console room.

This was why Twelve now used a blackboard.

Between the tragic events on Mars and the hell he'd experienced with the Master Saxon, Ten couldn't take the chance of meeting Donna again to test his theories. He'd already figured something when he wiped Donna's memories the first time. The security measure he added saved her life the day she was surrounded by a bunch of Saxon clones.

Twelve deduced that Little John inherited Time Lord DNA thanks to Donna's Meta-crisis with _Handy, Tentoo,_ or whatever other quirky name he gave it. Like _Mr. Lucky_ or _Rose's Rebound_.

Any timey wimey issues with Donna always went back to that moment. River Song received Time Lord DNA through mere conception. Her parents were completely human and never had a Time Lord consciousness implanted in their brains.

Donna, on the other hand, was saturated with Huon particles. Though he told her they were gone, Ten knew he couldn't disperse them all. See Rule number 1.

" _Weeeellll,_ at least I made them dormant." Twelve thought with an Estuary accent.

The Huons had permanently melded with Donna's DNA. The first time Donna had been a bubbling mass of chemicals and excited hormones due to her impending nuptials with spider-lover Lance. She was the perfect host.

Twelve realized that the left-over Huons reactivated when Donna discovered she was pregnant. It also coincided with Ten's regeneration to Eleven, which oddly made Donna re-enact the food melt-down Eleven had with little Amy Pond. Proving that she was truly the Doctor-Donna.

Donna had been living on an emotional roller-coaster for years now, thanks to the love of her family, added stresses, and the death of Wilfred. Donna wouldn't have survived all these meetings with the Doctors and their sneaky mind melds if the activated Huons didn't amalgamate with Ten's original neural shield.

The Doctor stewed over Little John's connection. The boy was most likely a high level telepath and he just happened to love picking his mother's brain. But that didn't explain how he saw a year in advance that the _Twelfth_ Doctor would be on the hill. Was he a psychic telepath? Or was this boy a Time Lord in the making?

Only time and the Doctor's meddling would tell.

The Doctor peeked at the cabin and saw little movement. Donna's outline was sitting on the cot, her shoulders rose up and down. He listened carefully and heard her whimpering. He curled his hands and twisted his feet into the dirt. His leg shook. It was so hard for him to initiate comfort. He kept where he was, but his hearts went out to her.

Donna hadn't called him dumbo or spaceman yet. He weirdly missed her verbal abuse. His latest face commanded respect. He finally had a face someone listened to. His tenth she sassed and slapped. Her brief time with his eleventh she'd scorned and mocked. Now here she was offering solace and tossing flirty compliments.

If the Universe were doling out judgement on him, The Doctor's own profound memory loss of Clara Oswald was surely his punishment for the pain he inflicted on Donna Noble – The most important woman in all of creation. He didn't deserve to be in her presence.

~~Oo~~

A rabid urge engulfed him. To run, be clever, and remember. He stood abruptly when she came out. "It was my pleasure to meet ya, Donna, but I'd better be goin.'"

Donna still had tears shining in her eyes, but she put on a smile. She linked her arm through his to remind him that he came for a reason. He wasn't allowed to escape until she said so.

"Tell ya what, Stewart, Granddad's stuff can wait. He never turned away a lost soul. My mother says I'm just like 'im in that way. No more runnin' clever boy, and let's go out for some tea and nibbles. We can talk more comfortably."

The Doctor gaped at her. It was as if she read his mind. She forged ahead, dragging him along.

"I'd love to hear all about Scotland and the _kilts..._ err, bagpipes! _Yeah..._ The castles, Loch Ness...Whaddya say?"

The Doctor chuckled. Donna never changed. His expression brightened. "Sure! We can discuss Outlanders, Highlanders...Sean Connery, Ewan McGregor... Lead the way, boss."

Donna gave him a light punch. "Now you're talkin'! I know a place that's open 'till midnight. Gramps always met his chums there. I'll take' ya on his behalf."

Donna stopped in her tracks and looked up at him. "Ya know what I think, Stewart? I think we're gonna be good mates."

"Perhaps the best." He smirked.

"The universe is finally smiling on me again. I feel it."

"Donna, you have no idea. It never stopped."

"That'll be wizard for sure!" She raised her brow. "But I'll be the judge of our friendship. I get a strange feelin' ya might just out sass me and I'm very competitive."

"I complain and argue like the best of the Scots. But never in all my born days would I attempt to do _that_ , Donna. I'm sure I can't win."

The Doctor remembered his trip 5 billion years in the future. The end of the earth raged outside and he was having a row with a piece of skin.

 _"What are ya gonna do? Moisturize me?"_

His ninth regeneration could've come very close to beating Donna's sass. The universe knew what it was doing by not pairing _those_ two up. Still could've been major fun.

Somehow Donna Noble would've fit just right with any past regeneration. She'd stomp a square peg in a round hole and call it a day no matter what. It was part of her charm.

Donna waved her hand across his eyes. " _Earth to Stewart!_ Come on, _Geronimo! Allons-y!"_ She hurried ahead of him.

His presence was already affecting her mind as drips and drabs of his consciousness seeped into hers. At least the catch phrases.

Donna spun around and walked backwards while facing him. "I'm a wife and mother now, and can't be dilly dallying with attractive men all night. And yes I said _attractive._ So don't get any ideas, spaceman."

The Doctor laughed. "Now I'm a spaceman? Where'd ya get that?"

"It just feels right callin' ya that. You bein' a technician for spacey wacey products, thinkin' the moon's an egg...there's a lot more to ya than meets the eye, I just know it."

The Doctor linked her arm again. "Don't worry, I'm a gentlemen. And I guess you can say... a recent Widower."

Donna's face paled and she halted. " _Wot?_ _No..._ I'm such a blitherin' idiot! I didn't even think..."

The Doctor lowered his arm and clutched her hand tight. " _Don't you dare_ put yourself down again. I warned...I mean, I'm warning ya now. Ya had no idea."

"But of all the stupid things ta say! My mouth always gets ahead of my brain. I'm really sorry, Stewart."

The Doctor circled her, nearly shouting. "Donna, we're not here for that. This isn't about me! I'm okay. And after meeting ya for just fifteen minutes I realized that I'm goin' to be more than okay from now on. Now tell me something amazing about Wilf!"

Donna flushed and kept her head down, still ashamed to speak. She whispered a "Thank you." They walked and enjoyed the breezy night air and the scent of freshly cut grass and flowers until she became chatty again.

"Ok! I got one. I'll start with Gramps' favorite life story. He was thirteen during the London Blitz and he hid in a Cathedral with a boy named Lazarus because of the bombing. They found a group of orphans and took charge of them for a couple of days. The kids were petrified of a little ghost boy wandering around in a gas mask crying for his mummy. Grandad never saw the boy though. He was disappointed. That story used ta scare me ta bits when I was little!"

The Doctor swallowed hard. The universe had again connected him to Wilfred Mott and Donna. He did a quick mental scan of his appointments. He was due to visit Wilfred in 2012 soon. They were going to attend the Olympics. They just had to make sure not to bump into Ten and Rose.

"I like where this is goin', Donna."

"It's only the abridged version. So Gramps' mum was sickly and nearly died at the hospital. But when the Blitz ended that night she came home completely cured with a black gas mask jus' sittin' on her head! She lived to a ripe old age after that. She remembered a cocky man in leather from the North, and some strange glowin' lights healin' the patients. The man was desperate for everybody to live. And ya know what?"

"The suspense is killing me!"

" _Everybody_ lived!" Donna stopped for breath. "It was a miracle! She fainted after that, so we never got the whole story. But rumors swirled about a space ship!"

The Doctor's hearts soared. "It's always the best when everybody lives. Ya know, Mrs. Temple-Noble, tea and nibbles are fine, but let's make it coffee...I like coffee now. Coffee and bananas! Bananas are good. Lots of potassium."

" _Ehh,_ why so healthy? you're already a skinny streak of..."

The Doctor stared at her with adoration. "Skinny streak of _what?_ "

Donna blushed. " _Nope._ I'm not gonna say it, that'd be rude of me."

"Oh Donna, I know your type. Can't hold back for long. It'll come in time." He joked.

"Just have your coffee and bananas, spaceman. I'm suddenly in the mood for Jammie Dodgers!"

The Doctor laughed. "Oh my giddy aunt! That would be _fantastic!_ "

 **The End.**

 **A/N: What was meant to be a simple one chapter/one-shot took on a life of its own with twists and turns for Donna and the Doctors. I loved writing Eleven & Donna and then really enjoyed writing for Twelve. I wish she'd return to the series. They _need_ to meet. I kept things simple by setting it after series 9 and the special with River Song on Darillium. So the Doctor's board is cleared of mind boggling companions. Now I opened a can of Huons by giving Twelve a timey wimey little mystery to solve with Donna's son. I answered a lot of it in this story.**

 **If I can't get around to writing a sequel, we know Donna's in good hands with the Doctor back in her life. I'll see how my RL progresses because this was so fun and I'd like to explore it more.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


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